News Blog

While many, even most, patients recover from COVID-19 without lasting effects, for others, the recovery process can be more prolonged and complex. These patients continue to experience physical, emotional, or cognitive symptoms, which can significantly impact their overall quality of life.

If you have ever been to a hospital, either as a patient or a caregiver, you know how hard it can be to get a good night’s sleep. The beeps, chatter, code alarms, and clatter that go along with hospital care can be omnipresent, even after sundown.

“We did not want to ask for a seat at the table. We wanted to break the mold and create our own table, where everyone would have a seat,” Jorge (Jay) Ortiz-Carpena said.

“Many of our patients have told us that it’s the worst medical problem that they suffer from. Even though dry eye in itself won’t cause you to completely lose your vision, it can really be debilitating,” said Vatinee Bunya, MD, MSCE.

When you think about yourself as a patient in a health care setting, what comes to mind? Searching for the right care you need? Setting up an appointment? Getting answers to your medical questions? Perhaps it is some or all of the above.

“It’s been like a fairytale,” said Cheryl Cichonski-Urban. “It’s so unbelievable. I sit, think about it, and I can’t believe it happened. I can’t believe it worked.”

Ed Bishop always liked taking pictures. But at more than 350 pounds and with aching knees, it became nearly impossible for him to maneuver to get the right shot. So he put the camera down, and literally limped away from the hobby he loved.

While the return to pre-pandemic lifestyles is a cautious path as we mitigate vaccine hesitation and COVID-19 variants, it’s certainly on the horizon. Before the world makes the big jump back to “normal” life, now is the ideal time to reevaluate your goals and set boundaries to maintain your priorities.

Stacey C. Peeples, MA, typically has a sense of what she’s getting into when she receives new materials to process. As curator and lead archivist of Pennsylvania Hospital’s (PAH) historic collections, she often works with defined groups — a set of photographs taken during World War I, for example, or pieces of early-nineteenth-century correspondence between physicians and the Board of Managers.

As an anatomic pathologist, Emma Furth, MD, spends most of her day involved in “behind the scenes” work, such as examining specimens under a microscope. But, thanks to her new patient education initiative, she’s now getting face time with patients as well.